Day 3; Mountain biking

Rob Howard and Anne-Marie Dunhill / 17.09.2012

After the dark zone that complied with French rules concerning river navigation by night and mandatory stop of four hours on the side of the river Durance, underneath the cliffs above which Embrun is situated, teams took off on a short, steep trek of 4 km. 

This section was followed by a mountain bike section of 58km in the high mountains. The race route took the teams up to the Col du Parpaillon with a tunnel at an altitude of 2,700 m. After the initial agitation of the first day of racing teams appeared to have settled into a rhythm as their bodies adjusted to the effort demanded. With large sections of single track through the high mountainous region, racers whose feet were suffering from the long trekking sections were able to recover a bit. The positive elevation gain for this section was 2,340 meters, with teams arriving in the transition area of Lac des Sagnes throughout the day, with Seagate arriving first, followed by Thule.

adidas TERREX was true to their reputation for fast, efficient transitions.  Chris Hope was strapping his left foot while the other members of the team prepared the affairs for the next stage. They said that on the earlier section, their kayak had had a gash on the bottom as well which meant it took in water, but as opposed to the Switzerland team they weren’t able to change it so maneuvering had been difficult. While they were setting off on the trek, the French team #12, Vibram Lafuma was having a more difficult time leaving transition. Elisabeth Reverol was hopping up and down with impatience, berating her teammates stating, “There’s no point in going all out on the bikes if it’s to waste 45 minutes in transition”! They kept their eyes on the English team, asking if the “rosbifs” were still in the transition area. 

The American team #5, Tecnu, arrived after the Swedish team Axa-adidas; on their way up the mountain one team member 

commented, “I’m only speaking for myself, but I’m ******”! 

Teams will be trekking through the night in the Mercantour National Park before a transition to another mountain bike stage. There are likely to be extensive portage sections in this stage. The night is cool and crisp and the sky clear. The third day of racing is drawing to a close.

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